The ERC Steering Group provides advice on the strategic direction of the Centre, providing advice on activities and actions that will help it achieve its aims. The Steering Group also provides guidance and practical support with communications and dissemination activities.

The Steering Group meets twice a year. It has an independent Chair, Jane Galsworthy, and membership is drawn from the ERC’s stakeholder and research community.

David Bharier

Head of Research, British Chambers of Commerce

David is Head of Research at the British Chambers of Commerce and leads on the delivery of the Chamber Network’s national survey programme, which analyses business attitudes towards a range of policy areas, including taxation, labour market conditions, international trade, and Brexit. The analysis is reported widely across the media and is briefed across the UK Government and Bank of England.

Delma Dwight

Director of Black Country Economic Intelligence Unit & Director of Midlands Engine Observatory

Delma Dwight has been pioneering the development, implementation and leadership of an evidence-based approach to policy and strategy development across the Midlands for over 20 years.
Delma was educated in Ireland and holds a First-Class Honours degree (Batchelors) in Commerce from University College Galway and an Honours Masters (MA) in Economics from University College Dublin and holds a Visiting Professorship with the University of Wolverhampton.

Dinah Jackson

Principal Consultant at Urban Foresight

Dinah is Principal Consultant at Urban Foresight, a place-based innovation consultancy based in Newcastle upon Tyne and Dundee. With a wealth of economic development and regeneration experience, she leads Urban Foresight’s role to deliver aspects of Innovate UK’s Net Zero Living: Thriving Places ‘Future Ready’ programme. She was previously Head of Projects at the Rural Design Centre / National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise, and Innovation and Business Growth Programme Manager at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership where she designed, managed and evaluated many business growth and innovation support projects with a wide variety of entrepreneurs, SME business participants, and stakeholders.

Jane Galsworthy

Managing Director, Oxford Innovation Advice

As Managing Director of Oxford Innovation Advice, Jane Galsworthy champions SMEs and entrepreneurs. For over 20 years, she has led teams in developing and delivering impactful business support programmes that help businesses and economies grow. She has also been instrumental in developing leading business diagnostic tools such as GROWTHmapper®, creating new approaches to delivering high impact support and championing analysis of SME data to inform SME policy development. With a PhD in chemistry and a background in scientific research as well as policy development, she is passionate about innovation. Since November 2022, Jane has additionally been the independent Chair of the Enterprise Research Centre’s Steering Group. Her extensive experience working with businesses, universities and policymakers across the UK, means she is uniquely positioned to provide valuable insights into the business support landscape and the needs of SMEs.

Lee Hopley

Director, Economic Insight and Research, UK Finance Director

Lee is currently Director of Economic Insight and Research at UK Finance and is responsible the collection and dissemination of data relating to the support the finance sector provides to business and households. Lee and the team provide the data and research service to UK Finance members and produce public commentary and analysis on trends in the banking and finance sector, including data relating to household and business finance, trends in payments, and fraud related indicators. She is also responsible for the programme of research and analysis which informs UK Finance’s policy and representation activities. She was previously Deputy Director at the Enterprise Research Centre and Chief Economist at EEF, the manufactures’ organisation (now Make UK).

Liz Barclay

Small Business Commissioner for the UK

Small Business Commissioner for the UK. Former small business and personal finance journalist, writer and broadcaster. Experienced Board Chair, NED and HR and Remco Chair across private and third sector organisations. Internal and external communications consultant and trainer. Conference speaker and facilitator.

Nida Broughton

Director of Economic Policy, Behavioural Insights Team

Nida Broughton is the Director of Economic Policy at the Behavioural Insights Team, where she oversees BIT's work on productivity, consumer policy, employment, sustainability and diversity & inclusion. Previously, she was Chief Economist at the Social Market Foundation. She has also worked at the House of Commons, where she provided economic advice to MPs and select committees, and at Ofcom, where she led research on the application of behavioural economics to market regulation.

Nola Hewitt-Dundas

Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Queen’s University Belfast

Nola Hewitt-Dundas is Professor of Innovation Management and Policy and Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast. She has published consistently in leading international journals on innovation systems, the micro-economics of business innovation and university-business collaboration. An internationally recognised expert, she has provided advice to national and international organisations and serves on the Board of UKRI.

Paul Wilson

Policy Director, Federation of Small Businesses

Paul Wilson is the Policy Director at the Federation of Small Businesses. FSB aims to provide a voice for the UK’s 5.5 million small businesses and the self-employed. Paul’s policy team publishes regular reports on a range of topics, recently including business energy prices, skills and training, and access to finance. Prior to joining FSB, Paul was a director at the Law Society.

Richard Jeffery

National Director, GC Business

Richard Jeffery is National Director of GC Business, part of The Growth Company, a social enterprise dedicated to enabling growth, creating jobs and improving lives; GC Business helps transform over 35,000 businesses a year across the UK. Richard is leading the national expansion of The Growth Company’s support services.

Simon Collinson

Director of the West Midlands Regional Economic Development Institute (WMREDI) and City-REDI.

Simon is Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Regional Engagement at the University of Birmingham and Director of WMREDI and City-REDI which help develop policies for inclusive economic growth across UK regions. He is based in Birmingham Business School where he was Dean (2012-2016). He has previously worked at the Universities of Warwick and Edinburgh and was Chair of the Chartered Association of Business Schools and a member of the ESRC Council.

Tim Vorley

Deputy Director, Productivity Insights Network

Tim is Deputy Director of the ESRC funded Productivity Insights Network and leads the Innovation Caucus funded by Innovate UK/ESRC.

Verity Davidge

Director of Policy at Make UK

Verity is the Director of Policy at Make UK, representing and championing manufacturing in the UK and supporting businesses around the country. She leads in directing the organisation’s policy work, raising the profile of manufacturing and ensuring that the views of Make UK’s members are heard by the Government and wider policy makers. She regularly represents Make UK in the media and in Parliament, appearing before Select Committees and All Party Parliamentary Groups, as well as sitting on Government led boards and advisory groups.